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Chicago-based pizza chain Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, which confirmed to IBJ in March that it plans to enter the Indianapolis market, now says its first location will open this fall in Carmel.
The opening plan varies from one the company announced earlier this year.
The Carmel site is now under construction at 11435 Spring Mill Road, in the 65-acre mixed-use development known as The Bridges. The 1,550-square-foot restaurant, which will offer carryout and delivery only, is working toward a late October opening.
This will be the chain’s second in Indiana—a Schererville location opened in July 2019.
“We’re excited to expand our footprint in Indiana and make Carmel home to our first location in the Indianapolis area,” owner Marc Malnati said in a prepared statement issued on Tuesday.
In that statement, the company also said its previously announced Broad Ripple location, which will be a full-service restaurant, will open some time next year. The Malnati Organization LLC purchased the Broad Ripple property, a 5,145-square-foot building at 6320 Ferguson St., in March for $1.1 million.
In March, Lou Malnati’s told IBJ that its first Indianapolis location would be carryout-and-delivery-only location at 2902 W. 86th St. This location is in the Willow Lake West shopping center just east of Michigan Road near The Pyramids office complex.
But, at the time, the company said it did not know when that location would open, and in Tuesday’s statement the company did not specifically mention the 86th Street location.
The 86th Street location is not listed on Lou Malnati’s website, though both the Broad Ripple and Carmel locations are listed as “coming soon.”
The company said the 86th Street site is still in the works, though it did not say when that location might open.
Marc Malnati’s parents, Lou and Jean Malnati, opened their first restaurant in 1971. Marc Malnati and his brother, Rick, took over when Lou died in 1978.
The company now operates 62 restaurants. Most of the restaurants are in the greater Chicago area, although the chain also has four in Arizona and two in Wisconsin. The company also ships its frozen pizzas to customers throughout the country.
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Uh-oh. Brainard must have heard about Scotty McFadness’ pizzeria strategy and now Brainard is moving in on Scotty’s trademarked business.
C’mon Scotty – don’t let Brainard steal your ideas. Keep bringing the PIZZA, SCOTTY!!!!!!